Scotland Off the Beaten Track

Angus | Town | ★

County town of Angus, Forfar is a historic market town dating back to Pictish times, bordered by Balmashanner Hill to the south and a picturesque loch to the west. The centre has plenty of places to eat and an interesting, free museum also showcasing local artwork. The ruined medieval monastery, Restenneth Priory, provides a tranquil diversion, with a number of ornate Pictish stones and cross slabs around the nearby village of Aberlemno also worth seeing.


Location

📌 Forfar ★
Angus, G.R.: NO 457506 ///reason.rivers.fame

🚶 Forfar Loch and Bummie are easily walkable from the town centre. Hop on a bus for Glamis Castle.
🚌 There are direct buses from settlements including Dundee and Arbroath. The long distance coach from Glasgow / Perth to Aberdeen stops a long mile outside town.



See & do (<1 mi away)

>> Forfar Loch Country Park★★

📌 Meffan Museum and Art Gallery★★
West High Street, town centre, G.R.: NO 456506 ///hill.timing.teams
Open Tuesday to Saturday in 2…

Angus | Forfar | Short walk | ★★★

Bummie is the rude-sounding local name for Balmashanner Hill: the high ground protecting Forfar from the south, crowned with an impressive war memorial and probably the reason why it always seems to be a few degrees colder here than any else nearby. Both the Sidlaw Hills and southern Cairngorms are visible from the top, with paths linking the summit to streets coming up from the town centre. Park centrally and explore historic Forfar itself too.


📌 Walk: Bummie ★★★
Start / finish at car park on Myre Road, Forfar town centre, G.R.: NO 454507 ///sing.shop.ready

▶ 5 km / 3 mi | ▲ 120 m | ⌚ Short | ⬤ Easy
Summits: Balmashanner Hill (174 m) | Features: Forfar; Balmashanner Hill War Memorial
Terrain: Paths (some steep) & residential streets.

Route & map

Car park - Reid Park - War Memorial - Balmashanner Hill - Blindwell - Newmonthill Cemetery - start


Route credit: Walkhighlands (modified)
On our visit

Wildlife: Roe deer running through the fields around Bal…

Angus | Forfar | Loch & park | ★★

If you're a frequent user of the A90 dual carriageway, the closest you might have got to Forfar is the roadside McDonald's. The country park shields town from road: little more than a fence separates loch from lorry fumes, so the western end of the park can be a little noisy. Crazy golf and pitch 'n' putt probably only open in high season, but the 4 km wander around the loch (left by a melting glacier at the end of the last ice age) is good at any time of year. Look out for ospreys, kingfishers, roe deer and otters depending on the season, and also the newish memorial for the Forfar Witches, with 22 spots remembering each of the women put to death during the 1660s witch trials.


📌Forfar Loch Country Park★★
Craig o' Loch Road, half a mile west of Forfar town centre. Visitor hub is at G.R.: NO 450507 ///fine.about.than
Always open | Free